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New university entrants to receive MenC vaccination booster

GPs are advised that students heading to university for the first time who missed the routine vaccination for 14-years old –a scheme introduced last year – should be offered a booster dose from August 2014. The aim of the vaccination among this population is to protect young adults against the quick spread of disease that occurs in shared housing and university accommodation.

The move was annoucend in Public Health England guideline ‘Changes to the meningococcal C conjugate vaccine schedule’ (see link below).

Following edvidence that showed that an initial dose is sufficient to protect children until the 12-13 month booster, the four-month booster jab was withdrawn. The four-month booster jab has now been replaced with a jab at 14 years – at the same time tetanus, diphtheria and polio vaccination is offered.

PHE have alerted GPs that UCAS will notify prospective university entrants to have the vaccination from August 2014.

The UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have noted that the catch-up programme will run for several years until all new university entrants have been vaccinated.